Energy Forecast

Daniela Dvornická
(Furniture and Interior Design, UMPRUM)

Gabriela Palijová
(Audiovisual Studies, FAMU)

Anna Solianyk
(Architecture, UMPRUM)

The project Energy Forecast imagines a future where society has finally transitioned to renewable energy. It assumes a concept of “energy  forecast” to emerge as a tool to relate immediate weather and overall environmental conditions to expectable energy supply. While it focuses on the micro scale of individual or community “prosumers”, the project also reflects on the social and economic ramifications of the energy system transformation and the ways instability and unpredictability of renewable sources might be handled in the near future.

In the proposed scenario, plants powered by solar panels or wind turbines produce vast amounts of energy that is supposed to cover the needs of homes and businesses and that is traded freely on the international market. The energy supply system becomes increasingly decentralized and the agency is thus placed in the hands of communities whose consumption is now directly dependent on planetary biophysical flows.

“Today is the summer solstice. It will be partly cloudy with a high of 35°C and a low of 15°C during the day, and an 80 % chance of showers overspreading the region after dark. Be prepared for possible afternoon fluctuations in your solar panel system’s electricity production as the cloud density will increase. Unless you have UV panels, you may need to use energy from the central grid to meet your power demand. In the evening, rain will gradually spread northeast, with freshening southeasterly seasonal winds, possibly combined with a bit of light mixed precipitation. The clouds and showers may be favorable to the operation of wind turbines and hydro plants.”

The scenario and the concept of the energy forecast are based on a review of available governmental or corporate forecasts envisioning possible pathways of the green transition. It takes into account both the techno-optimistic projections such as the Net Zero by 2050 roadmap (IEA) and the more radical propositions of alternative green deals requiring a deeper socio-ecological transformation. In the process, it unpacks various tension points that arise within the social fabric and its infrastructural counterpart: what implications might a highly decentralized energy system have in terms of governance, social stratification, employment or the living conditions in urban or rural areas? And how do the outlines of the future realign if the energy forecast doesn’t serve as a control mechanism of green capitalism and finds use in a degrowth economy instead?